Steven David Lim

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lim.

Steven David Lim
Born	(1974-09-04) 4 September 1974 (age 50) Malaysia
Education	Raffles Institution
Occupations	Actor photographer businessman
Years active	1996−present
Website	www.stevendavidlim.com

Steven David Lim (born 4 September 1973), also known as Steven Lim, is a Singaporean actor, photographer, and restaurateur best known for his role as David Tay in the long-running drama series Growing Up on MediaCorp TV Channel 5. He is of Peranakan origin.[1][2]

Career

Acting career

Lim gained prominence for his role in Growing Up, where he appeared in all six seasons of the show.[3] In 1998, Lim appeared in the Malay drama series Soldadu as National Service member Su Kiong and appeared speaking in Malay.[1] His command of Malay in the drama improved during the drama's five-episode run.[1]

In 1998, Lim made his film debut in Forever Fever.[4] In the same year, he starred in The Teenage Textbook Movie.[5]

In 2001, Lim left Singapore to attend London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England. After completing his drama school education, he took on acting jobs over the years in the United Kingdom.[3] He played the lead role in the 2005 feature film Cut Sleeve Boys,[6] and made a guest appearance on the British sketch comedy series Little Britain.[7]

In 2013, Lim left the United Kingdom for Bangkok, Thailand, Lim continued with acting.[3]

Additionally, he took on supporting roles in the gay web series People Like Us and Getaway.[3][8] For his performance in People Like Us, Lim was honored with the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2017 Indie Series Awards.[9]

In 2023, Lim opened up about the bullying he endured on the set of Growing Up, after becoming the target of a co-star's animosity. Lim suspects the co-star tried to get him fired at the end of the first season.[10] Although he refrains from naming the co-star, he praises co-star Jamie Yeo for rallying behind him.[11]

Other career

After moving to Bangkok, Lim opened a cafe, Luka Bangkok, and a restaurant, Luka/Quince at Siri House.[3][12] He also took on photography.[3]

Filmography

TV series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
1996 – 2001	Growing Up	David Tay		[3]
1998	Soldadu	Su Kiong		[1]
2016	People Like Us			[3]
2022	Getaway	Sam's dad	Web series	[3]

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
1998	Forever Fever	Leslie/Beng		[4]
	The Teenage Textbook Movie	Daniel Boon		[5]
2005	Cut Sleeve Boys	Melvin Shu		[6]

Personal life

Lim spent his childhood and early teenage years in Kuala Lumpur until he moved to Singapore at age 15. Taking Malay as the second language instead of Mandarin, he excelled in the O- and A-level examinations.[2] His Malay worsened when he studied at the National University of Singapore.[1]

During season 2 of Growing Up, Lim successfully applied for Singapore permanent residence status and was enlisted to National Service.[1]

He speaks in English, Malay, and Hokkien and Teochew dialects.[2]

In 2019, Lim came out publicly on Dear Straight People, becoming one of Singapore's first openly gay actors.[13]

References

1. "Steven Lim 'masuk Melayu'". Berita Harian (Singapore). 17 July 1998. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
2. "Growing up into a Pisang Goreng". The New Paper. 22 July 1998.
3. "What has Steven Lim been up to? Growing Up actor's latest project is Singaporean gay drama". AsiaOne. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
4. Elley, Derek (3 August 1998). "Forever Fever". Variety. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
5. "Oh dreamy teacher, please don't go away". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 October 1998. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
6. "CUT SLEEVE BOYS | Film Threat". 25 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
7. Tseng, Douglas (11 June 2020). "Little Britain Dropped From Streaming Services In Singapore". Today. Singapore. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
8. "Singapore's Dear Straight People drops gay drama set in Bangkok: Coconuts". Coconuts. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
9. "8th Annual Indie Series Awards Winners". Indie Series Awards. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
10. "Growing Up actor Steven Lim suspects fellow cast member tried to get him fired from show". AsiaOne. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
11. "Steven David Lim Opens Up About The Bullying He Endured On Growing Up". Dear Straight People. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
12. "Out Of The Closet: Steven David Lim Shares His Story: Dear Straight People". Dear Straight People. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
13. Lim, Bryan (4 July 2022). "'I was in love with somebody, I couldn't tell my parents': Growing Up actor Steven Lim on coming out to family". AsiaOne. Retrieved 25 November 2024.

External links

• Steven Lim at IMDb